Printing device.



J. S. DUNCAN. PRINTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. ze, 1912.

1 ,096,495 Patented May 12, 1914.

' John Doe 8C Company,

UNITED Adriana ernten;

JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB. '.IO ADDRESSOG'RAPII COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' PRINTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1914i.

Application filed August 26, 1912. Serial No. 716,988.

To all 'whom it may concern: j

Be it known that I, Josnrn Duncan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Printing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to printing devices. and has for its primary object the provision of a device suitable for printing on circular letters the address and salutation disposed in proper relation and spaced the requisite distance from the body of the letter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel printing `device bearing the address and salutation and also designed to carry on its front face a data card being the desired information regarding the device by which the same may be identified when the devices are arranged in a drawer in accordance with a card-index system.A

A further object isto provide a device of this character which will present `a .flat 4front face on which the printing characters are formed and which will have on its rear face suitable spacing flanges to facilitate sidcwisc withdrawal of one of the devices from a stack Without engagement with or obstruction by adjacent devices.

In. the accompanying drawings illustrating` a preferred embodiment of' the invention-Figure l is a front view of my iinproved printing device; Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof; Fig. 3 is aflongitudinal sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. l; and Fig. f-`

is a transverse sectional view on the line GMG of Fig. 2.

The printing device as shown in the accompanying drawings is preferably stamped from a single sheet'of metal and comprises a flatportion 12 of suitable dimensions to accommodate several lines of printing char acters which are perfectly stamped up thereon from the body of the metal. The address, which may consist of several lines of printing characters, isl arranged on the front face of the flat Aportion of the device as it is desired that it should appear on the completed form letter. The salutation which is shown in the present instance, the word Gentlemen, is also stamped upA the plate and on the, front face thereof and closely adjacent the on the fiat portion of 16 to hold the card in position.

lower edge of the device, so that when the address ori'n and a printing form are in cooperative printing relation the salutation will be spaced the requisite distance from the first line of the body of the letter. In order to strengthen the address forin longitudi nally, the edge of the metal from the salutation to the opposite end of the device' is turned back flat against the back face of the device to form a strengthening rib 13, as best shown in Fig. 2. At the ends of the device the metal is folded back upon itself and then bent downwardly to produce the spacing flanges or ribs 14 ('Figs. 2 and 3) which serve to separate the devices when they are nested or stacked in a drawer or magazine and prevent the faces of the printing characters from becoming injured by contact with the adjacent devices.

A depressed panel 15 is formed adjacent the opposite edge of the plate from the salutation to receive a data bearing card 1G which is slid into the panel from one end. The longitudinal edge of the material outside the panel is folded forwardly to forni a. flange 17 partially overlying the panel beneath which the card 1G is inserted, this flange being adapted to hold the upper edge of the card in position. In the'forination of the panel the material is cut so as to provide lips 18 projecting over the panel and arranged to overlie the lower edge of the card The flange 17 is pressed down flat against the body of the metal so that its front face lies in a plane with thc cliaractrr-bearing portion 1,5 and also in the plane of the front face of the ends of the device! One end of the flange 17, as best shown in Fig. l, is partially cut away as indicated at 19 to permit the insertion of the card beneath the flange. At the opposite end the `flange overlies the margin of the plate, and sufficient pressure is exerted thereon when the plate being formed to depress it into the body of thc nieta] so that its front face lies flush with the margin. A shoulder 9.1 is 'formed from the body of the metal adjacent the left end of the device, viewing Fig. 1, and at the end of the card-receiving panel to prevent longitudinal displacement of' the card after it has been positioned. in the panel. When it is desired to remove the card for 'any purpose the end adjacent the tirely in forming the openings 22, but in forming the openings 23 the metal 1s left 1n its original plane as previously described to provide thelips 18. The openings 22 and 23 are arranged in pairs one above the other and, many pairs may be provided extend-I ing lengthwise of the panel, as is desired.

-One or more designation tabs24 provided with a stem adapted to be projected through the openings 22 and 23 may be used, whereby the tab is retained in position.'

The combined address and salutation devices are adapted to be stored in a drawer or tray and deposited in a magazine for use, from which they are conveyed by any suitable mechanism into printing position adjacent the stationarily mounted letter form. TheA data card and the index tab carried by each printing device enables any partielllar one to be seleeted' from the storage tray and to be removed or replaced by. another device, or the information on the data card may Vbe changed 'pr the card may be removed and replaced bya new card if desired. The address and salutation are sol arranged on the devices that 'when a device is positioned in coperative relation with the letter' form the salutation is spaced the requisite distance from the iirst line of the body of the letter, and the address, salutation and the body of the letter may be printed simultaneously at one operation. It vsll be observed that the front of each printing device is substantially flat, and that the character bearing portion and all of the margins of the front of the device are disposed in a common plane. The longitudinally extending strengthening strip 13 at the back of the device is folded fiat against the body of the metal, vand the spacing flanges orY ribs 14 project a sufficient distance from the back to prevent engagement between this fiat strengthening strip and the printing faces of the eh araeters of contiguous devices when they are stacked or nested, and also enable any particular device to `be removed laterally from the stack without engagement with or interference by the adjacent devices.

Itiis believed my invention will be understood from the foregoing without further description, and it will be obvious that the details of construction shown and described I may be varied Within `considerable limits Without departing from the scope of the iny. vention as set forth in the following claims.

l claim: l l. f A sheet metal printing device, comprising 7 aflat-character-bearing portion, and a depressed vcard-receiving .panel at one side' vsame, and transversely extending spacing thereof, the front face of the` characterbearing portion and the faces of the margins entirely around the-periphery of the device being all disposed in a common plane, one longitudinal margin comprising an edge 'of the metal folded forwardly to provide a flange overlying said depressed panel.

2. A sheet metal printingdevice, comprising a flat character-bearing portion, and a depressed card-receiving panel at one side thereof, the front face of the characterbearing portion and the entire peripheral margins ofthe device being all disposedA in a common plane, one longitudinal margin comprising an edge of the metal folded forwardly t'o provide a flange overlying said depressed panel, the metal at the opposite side of the device being folded rearwardly to provide a strengthening rib at the back of the device. Y y A 3. A sheet metal printing device, comprising a fiat character-bearing portion, and a depressed card-receiving panel at one side'V thereof, the front face of the characterbearing portion andthe front faces of the margins around the periphery of the device being all disposed in a common plane, one longitudinal margin comprising an edge' of the metal folded forwardly to provide a flange overlying said depressed panel, the metal ends of the device being folded rearwardly and formed to provide spacing ribs on the back of the device.

4. A sheet metal printing device comprising a character-bearing portion lying in the plane of the body of the device, a card-receiving panel depressed in the device adjacent the character bearing portion, a vflange partially overlying said panel at one edge of the device, the front facev of said {fangebeing disposed in the plane of the characterbearing portion, and a-shoulder formed at one end of the panel to prevent longitudinal displacement of the card disposed therein.

5. A sheet metal printing device having 3.1-,

a card-receiving panel depressed in the front face thereof, the margins and the front facey l of the device being in the same plane, one longitudinal edge of the device being folded over acrossthe front of the plate in the plane of said front and overhanging the depressed panel, the opposite longitudinal edge of t e device being folded over across the back ofthe device to strengthen the tanges on'the back of the device, there being printing characters stamped up on the front face of the device at one side of the card-receiving panel.

'6. A sheet-metal-printing device presenting'a flat front face upon which are formed v a plurali-ty of printing characters, a portion of said face being depressed to provide a .card-receiving panel, transversely extending spacing 'danges formedat the ends of the 1go e, n trip of mmimum thickness, the spacing Witnesses:

device en the back thereof, a portion of one ongitudinal edge of the device bein folded wick fiat against the rear face of t e charwtenbeering portion to form a strengthenstack without enggement between said strengtl'lening strip and the prntmg characters of en adjacent device.

JOSEPH s. MNCAN.

ges )r'ojecting a sufeient distance to` WM. BELT, pemnt t e deviee'to be Withdrawn from a l M. A. KIDDIE. 

